Re-Adjustments
by jylener22
Summary: While married life certainly has its advantages, when a couple has children added into the mix, everything becomes a lot more interesting. A major revision of my old work 'Adjustments' with canon material added into the mix (boy, do I love being able to say that).
1. Sharing is Caring

Sitting at his desk in the front office of the Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo's left hand was cradling his temple while his right hand gripped a pen, which he was tapping rapidly against the paperwork spread out before him. While he'd always known that Isshin wasn't a complete deadbeat and actually had done enough work over the years to keep his family clothed, fed and sheltered, it wasn't until Ichigo had taken over the practice that he realized just how much his father had done over the years. Isshin had actually kept meticulous notes and files on every single person who had ever come to him for treatment of any kind, had several volumes full of all his payment records and tax forms as well as binders full of incoming and outgoing medication, which was good in its own way...unless you were new to the family business and trying to sort through everything.

Dropping the pen and heaving a great, silent sigh, Ichigo then rubbed his eyes and mumbled under his breath, "Like tossing a baby into the ocean and expecting them to learn how to swim on their own."

"What's wrong?"

Without turning around, Ichigo replied in a flat tone, "Nothing."

Ichigo's wife of a little over two years came through the doorway, her house slippers almost completely noiseless on the tiled floor as she asked, "Are you sure? Would you like help with something?"

"I just..." Ichigo began before running a frustrated hand through his hair, making it almost stand straight up as he huffed, "...I've been staring at these same papers for the past ten minutes, yet as soon as I finish reading them and get ready to move onto the next set, I completely forget everything I just read. It's enough to drive anyone crazy."

Coming up behind her husband, Orihime carefully ran her fingertips along the base of Ichigo's neck to see if he would shy away from her touch in his poor mood, but when he leaned back slightly and almost unconsciously, she began to expertly knead and soothe away the knots in his muscles as she asked, "Would you like some help? Maybe I could read aloud to you or I could take a stack and look through them."

Closing his eyes and massaging the bridge of his nose again, Ichigo replied, "No, that's all right."

"What about taking a break for a bit, then?" returned Orihime quietly as she withdrew her hands and took a step back, "Sometimes the more you try to force yourself to keep going, the more your concentration deteriorates."

Hanging his head in defeat, Ichigo sat in his chair another five seconds before following Orihime's advice. He stood up and raised his arms above his head with a groan. Hearing several of his joints crack back into place was both wonderful and maddening at the same time as it went to prove that he really had been pouring over all the paperwork for quite some time...but he still had not been able to make heads or tails of anything as of yet.

Turning around and bending from side to side to stretch out his leg and arm muscles a bit better, Ichigo looked up at Orihime as he asked, "So, did you have any particular activities in mind for me to do or what?"

"Not especially," said Orihime with a slight smile, "I just came in here to see how you were getting along."

Raising a skeptical brow at her, Ichigo inquired knowingly, "Is that so? You really only came in here to see what I was up to?"

Laughing softly, Orihime replied, "All right, you caught me. I was getting tired of going through all those boxes up in the attic and figured it would be nice to go outside for a walk or something."

Returning Orihime's smile with a grin of his own, Ichigo said, "A short walk sounds pretty good right about now."

A few minutes later, the couple were strolling down the street. Initially, both were content to merely walk alongside the other and enjoy taking a break from their necessary but not especially urgent matters. As they continued along, while Ichigo kept his hands tucked inside the pockets of his jacket, Orihime felt an urge to hold Ichigo's hand and so casually slipped her hand into his pocket. Half a block later, Ichigo had shortened his strides and gradually slowed their pace so as to accommodate Orihime's head leaning against his bicep. They continued along in silence for a while longer before Orihime decided to reopen the communication channels with her husband.

"So, have you heard from your father recently?"

Even though he was fairly certain the topic would come up eventually, Ichigo couldn't help but laugh at Orihime's complete lack of subtlety on broaching the subject and it took him a few moments before he was able to compose himself enough to respond, "Actually, no. Haven't received another Hell Butterfly from him after the one that came last week."

"I see," replied Orihime in a tone that revealed the fact that she was trying to act in a casual manner, "Well, do you think it's possible that he'll be home in a couple of months. Say the second week in January or so?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ichigo answered honestly, saying, "Can't say for sure, but I'd be pretty surprised if he didn't show up for the holidays and unless he and Ryuuken are desperately needed elsewhere, I'm sure Dad would be overjoyed to stay a couple extra weeks."

Giving Orihime a side-long glance, Ichigo asked pointedly, "Why do you ask?"

Completely disregarding her former act of nonchalance, Orihime gripped Ichigo's hand a little tighter as she looked up at her husband, expression positively radiant, and said in breathless excitement, "Because it would be a good time to have a...a..."

Grinding to a halt, Ichigo whipped around so he could look his wife full in the face as he gripped both her hands in an excited yet tender way as he asked, "Wait, are you..."

Her smile becoming even more resplendent, Orihime's eyes also began to shimmer as she nodded and said, "Yes. Yes, I am."

While Ichigo had become more demonstrative of his emotions in recent years, he always kept himself in check when it came to Orihime. So, even though his first instinct was to wrap Orihime up in a tight hug and twirl around in circles like characters did in the movies, the bigger part of Ichigo's instinct prompted him to be more gentle with the woman who was carrying their child inside her. However, he wouldn't go too far to the other side and fuss over Orihime like she was a porcelain doll that needed to be wrapped in wool and not allowed to do anything for herself.

Thus, Ichigo settled on bending slightly to place one arm around her thighs and the other around the middle of her back so he could lift her high enough that she could look down on him as if she were the sun shining down on him. Orihime laughed delightedly as her hands automatically rested on his shoulders for a bit of extra support as he spun around two or three times.

"I love you," said Ichigo with a warm smile to match his tone, "so very much."

It was fortunate that Orihime's long hair obscured the view of passersby since the sight of a man being kissed by the sun could very well have blinded them.


	2. Improvisation

Continuing on their walk, Ichigo and Orihime were perfectly content to allow the other time to contemplate what the near future had in store for them...but such bliss was not meant to last long.

Feeling his phone buzz in his back pocket, Ichigo pulled it out and groaned when he saw the name of a particularly difficult and nit-picky patient appear on the display. A gentle tug on his sleeve caused Ichigo to look over at Orihime and see her giving him an encouraging smile. Rolling his eyes in grudging resentment, Ichigo quickly gave Orihime's forehead a peck while his thumb allowed the call to go through.

"Dr. Kurosaki speaking...Yes, Mrs. Itai...No, I am not currently at the clinic...Yes, that is why the doors are locked...No, I did not shut down the clinic...No, the clinic is not closed due to any kind of illness...My wife and I are perfectly healthy...No, I don't care to discuss why I am out of the clinic at the moment..."

Cringing as she sensed Ichigo's irritation about to skyrocket at any moment, Orihime wrapped her arms around Ichigo's waist and kissed the highest place on his body that she could reach from her natural height, which turned out to be his left pectoral. In the past year, Orihime had grown more confident about touching Ichigo in order to distract, soothe or calm him in any given situation. Out of the three, Orihime used the distraction method the least as 1) she needed to do something extremely outlandish in order to even get his attention 2) using such tactics too often would likely lessen their effectiveness over time and 3) since this method forced her to do something that popped into her head without thinking about it, once she actually stopped to think about what she had just done, Orihime would immediately revert back to an even more embarrassed version of herself than she had been at fifteen.

As it was, the strategy proved effective. Almost completely in sync with his wife, Ichigo flushed from his neck to the tips of his ears while his mouth gaped like a fish that had breathed its last. Unfortunately for him, Ichigo couldn't hide his blushing features from the outside world like Orihime currently was by burying her face in the gap between his arm and chest. He also completely forgot that he was currently supposed to be conversing with Mrs. Itai, whose high-pitched voice continued on unheeded for a little longer before pausing as if waiting for a response.

Somehow, Ichigo managed to engage enough of his brain to say in a clear, although completely robotic, manner, "Fifteen minutes," before ending the call.

After the space of a few heartbeats, Ichigo's arm encircled Orihime's shoulders and the two of them walked in tandem down the street. People walking along barely gave the pair a second glance, thinking that they were merely another touchy-feely, lovey-dovey couple too absorbed in each other to pay much attention to anyone else. It was fortunate for the couple that no one did feel the urge to stop and inquire about such topics like 'Oh-my-aren't-you-two-such-a-lovely-couple' or 'How-long-have-the-two-of-you-been-together?' as both Ichigo and Orihime may have spontaneously combusted on the spot.

Arriving back at the clinic in record time, a middle-aged woman saw them coming from where she sat on a bench located on the sidewalk across from the clinic and immediately gathered her things to all but stalk over to confront them.

With a curt nod that was her most congenial form of greeting, Mrs. Itai launched into her mentally scripted dialogue with, "Well, if I hadn't been such a loyal patron of the Kurosaki clinic ever since it was first founded, I might have considered trying another. Imagine my surprise when I came by, knowing it was your normal business hours, and finding the door locked! Locked of all things! And no sign in the window to explain why!"

Deciding it was best if she dealt with the difficult woman, Orihime breathed deeply in order to fully become her efficient, medical assistant persona before she said complacently, "I do apologize, Mrs. Itai. The day was moving unusually slowly, so Dr. Kurosaki was pouring over the paperwork for several hours, so I suggested a brisk walk to rejuvenate his mind and body."

Pursing her lips in such a way as to give the impression that she had just tasted something exceptionally bitter, Mrs. Itai nevertheless replied in grudging acquiescence, "Hmm...I suppose that is a reasonable excuse. However, out of consideration for those who pay your salaries, I strongly suggest you leave some sort of notice on the door in future."

Bowing respectfully, Orihime said, "Such an oversight will not happen again, Mrs. Itai. I will make sure of that," before she stepped forward to unlock the door and usher the patient inside as she inquired perceptively, "So, how are your joints and wrists feeling lately?"

"Terrible," said the woman in a terse tone, "The medication Dr. Kurosaki prescribed is not nearly strong enough. Also, I am fairly certain...no, I am positive that I have been having heart palpitations recently."

Had Ichigo not gone on the walk with Orihime earlier and had to deal with Mrs. Itai right after sloughing through his father's books, more than likely he would have said or done something to lose the Kurosaki Clinic's 'most faithful patron', albeit in a spectacular fashion. News cameras might have even been called out to witness and report on the event. As it was, however, Orihime's gentle influence had spared him such notoriety and while being subjected to Mrs. Itai's constant complaining and domineering attitude was not something he would wish on his worst enemy, Ichigo somehow made it through the ordeal without once gritting his teeth or clenching his toes in irritation.

The woman finally being 'satisfied' with her impromptu appointment and leaving the small clinic, Ichigo finished washing his hands before he made his way over to the front desk to hug his wife from behind. Just before he buried his nose in her hair, Ichigo saw that Orihime had commandeered all the ledgers and was meticulously taking notes in a fresh spiral notebook.

Sighing deeply, Ichigo murmured in a low rumble, "What would I do without you?" Orihime's only reply was to reach up with her free left hand to tenderly stroke her husband's face.

* * *

When they had finally reached the official closing hour for everything that wasn't a life-threatening medical emergency, Orihime closed all the books and leaned back in her chair with a long sigh of relief as she said, "Well, I think Yuzu said something about making curry tonight."

Without looking up from his clipboard where he was taking notes on what they had in stock in terms of medical supplies, Ichigo called back, "All right. I'll finish up here."

Taking enough time to replace all the books in their proper places on the shelves and tuck the notebook safely in a drawer of her desk before locking it with her keys, Orihime hummed a little tune to herself as she left, mentally going through the items in the pantry to figure out if she could make ginger rice as well as a green bean shiraae to go with the curry. In her mental preoccupation with food, Orihime didn't notice her husband watching her leave. As soon as she was out of sight and her footsteps were fading down the hallway, Ichigo grabbed his coat from the rack, patted the pocket to make sure his wallet was safely nestled inside and nearly forgot to relock the door in his haste to leave on his mission.

All but sprinting down the sidewalk, Ichigo nearly made it to his destination without incident when he saw Chad and Tatsuki round the corner dead ahead. Both of them were carrying gym bags, so he assumed they were either on their way to or from that particular establishment, but that fact paled in comparison to the knowledge that he really didn't have time to stop and talk with them. On the other hand, Ichigo also knew that if he ran past Tatsuki without acknowledging that he saw her, he'd never hear the end of it and there was definite potential that she might take off after him and tackle him to the ground in her irritation at him and demand to know what his problem was, thereby wasting even more time. So, he decided to split the difference.

Without slowing down, Ichigo called over to them, "Come by the house for dinner in a bit! Orihime has something she wants to tell you! See you there!"

Fortunately, that seemed to do the trick as the pair split apart to let him through without a fuss, although Tatsuki yelled at his quickly retreating back, "Should we bring anything?"

Waving a hand as he continued running, Ichigo shouted back, "Sure! We're having curry!"

Arriving at his destination, Ichigo slowed to a fast walk as he entered the store and proceeded to the very back where the dessert counter was located. The store in question was something of an upscale one that specialized in foreign foods, mainly European. As such, the sign above the counter read _Pâtissier_ and while the head chef was of Japanese descent, he had been trained by the best pâtissiers in Europe and graduated with honors. Orihime had found out about the store back when she still worked at the ABC Bakery and had fallen completely in love with their desserts, but especially their canelé and tarte tatin. When Ichigo had first tried it, he found their opera cake to be his favorite. Since it was more pricey, Ichigo and Orihime didn't often come to this store, but tonight definitely called for something extra special.

As he approached the counter, the last thing on Ichigo's mind was paying attention to his surroundings, so he was quite startled when he suddenly heard a voice behind him say, "Hello there, Kurosaki."

Whirling around, Ichigo's expression dropped into its former standard of scowling as he said, "Uryu, what are you doing here?"

Uryu arched an elegant brow as he retorted in his former clipped tone, "Well, I imagine my business is similar to your own," then said as he adjusted his glasses, "That is, unless you're here looking for something other than quality food stuffs imported from Europe."

Had he been several years younger, Ichigo may have forgotten his original intention and wasted time picking a fight with Uryu. As it was, Ichigo's attention was drawn back to the various desserts arranged pristine and elegant under the glass and he scolded himself for being distracted, even if only for a moment.

Without thinking, Ichigo laid a hand on Uryu's arm that had a basket dangling from it as he said hastily, "Look, I came here to pick up something for dinner tonight. Orihime has some news to share and it would be good if you could join us if you don't already have plans."

For once in his life, Uryu looked completely dumbfounded for all of about five seconds before he managed to collect himself enough to clear his throat, nod and say, "I see. What is being served?"

"Curry."

"Hmm," said Uryu looking down at his basket and frowning before muttering to himself, "No, that won't do," then cast his glance down one of the aisles as he asked, "What desserts are you intending to purchase for the occasion?"

"Umm..." replied Ichigo as he glanced over at the desserts, "I think some canelé, a few macaroons, a few fruit tarts, maybe a couple opera cakes and maybe one or two other things. Why?"

"Hmm," repeated Uryu as he looked thoughtful at another aisle before he nodded his head in a satisfied manner as he replied, "I will bring some drinks to go with dessert."

Just as Ichigo was about to protest and say that Orihime couldn't and shouldn't have any alcohol in her condition, he just managed to stop himself. Besides, he thought to himself, she would be the first to say that the others were more than welcome to indulge in order to celebrate the upcoming birth of their child. That, plus Ichigo was amused as he imagined what Uryu's expression might be when he realized his blunder.

Purchase of sweets completed, it occurred to Ichigo that someone other than himself should probably know that he had invited people over for dinner. Pulling out his phone, Ichigo pulled up Karin's number and was in the process of sending her a quick text as he walked out of the store, once again oblivious to his surroundings.

"I-I-I-I-I-chi-i-i-i-igo-o-o-o-o-o-o!"

Almost of itself, Ichigo's left hand clenched into a fist and flew out to the side to connect with the face of someone barreling towards him at top speed. The person in question clutched their nose and immediately began howling in pain. Snapping out of his reverie, Ichigo hit the send button and then quickly and anxiously peered inside the bag to make sure none of the desserts had been affected.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" wailed Keigo as he careened from side to side, "I'd forgotten what that felt like, but I didn't need to be reminded, Ichigo!"

Satisfied that his purchases were unscathed, Ichigo turned to face Keigo as he said, "Yeah, sorry about that," he reached up to scratch the back of his head as he continued, "It kind of happened before I realized what I was doing. You all right?"

Keigo began in a morose tone, "Yeah, I don't think it's bro-" before he suddenly stopped and gaped at Ichigo in absolute astonishment.

Blinking a few times, Ichigo asked in a wary tone, "What's that look for?"

Stepping out from behind Keigo, Mizuiro took one look at his befuddled friend and explained, "Your response was not what he expected. You've changed since high school and I think Keigo doesn't know how to respond because the same might not be true for him."

Feeling his phone vibrate in his hand, Ichigo quickly looked at Karin's response which said, 'How many?' Glancing over at the pair, Ichigo sighed internally as he typed back, 'Plan on 6'.

Putting the phone back in his pocket, Ichigo said, "Hey, I gotta run and get back home, but I already invited the others to come by the house for dinner, so if the two of you don't have any plans-"

Keigo stumbled back a few paces, pointing a shaky finger at Ichigo as he said in a horrified whisper, "You're inviting us for dinner? Who are you and what have you done with Ichigo?"

Rolling his eyes, Mizuiro interjected with, "I'll be there. What're we having?"

"Curry."

Nodding his head as he cupped his chin and looked thoughtful for a moment or two, Mizuiro said, "Don't know what anyone else is bringing, but I'll bring some after-dinner snacks."

"All right then," said Ichigo as he turned to head back home, "See you in a bit," but he stopped and turned to add, "Oh, and if either of you two know Chizuru's number, tell her that Orihime has some news she wants to share tonight."

"Will do."

As the two more mature men parted ways, Keigo was left looking back and forth between the two with a rather idiotic expression before he finally quit gaping and raced to catch up with Mizuiro.

* * *

Closing her phone, Karin let out a long, heavy sigh before leaning back in her desk chair and rubbing her eyes. She'd been so wrapped up in studying for her midterms that she had lost all sense of time, but now that she knew it was nearly dinnertime, Karin's stomach growled hollowly.

Staring up at the ceiling with her hands tucked behind her head, Karin frowned at this sudden urge of Ichigo's to invite people over for dinner. Sure, Yuzu and Orihime always made more than enough, so feeding six extra adults wouldn't be an issue. Plus, while Karin couldn't be 100% sure, she knew the only people Ichigo would invite over at the last minute would be his old friends and they would be sure to bring more food to share. However, that wasn't the point that bothered Karin.

"Something's up," muttered Karin under her breath just before she stretched, got up from her chair and padded slowly down to the kitchen.

 **Author's Note:**

I debated on adding more to this...but in the interest of actually posting it, I decided to leave it as is. Hope you guys like it! Also, any ideas/suggestions/requests for how things go down over dinner, I'm all ears! :)


End file.
